Mercy
by gschelt
Summary: When Fleur and Tonks' affair is discovered, their home lives are shattered. Fleur/Tonks femslash, strong themes of domestic violence/abuse. Oneshot. Please R


_**Author's Note:** This was strange to write and I'm sure strange to read. I wrote these sections all out of order and often had to stop and wonder why I had made Bill such a horrible villain. I actually like Bill in the books. Domestic abuse is a dark subject for me to write about, but somehow the idea just came to me in the form of section 6 of this story. Still, I'm pleased with the result of this story and I hope you are too. R&R is appreciated._

* * *

"Merci," Tonks says politely, smiling as Fleur opens the cottage's front door and invites her in. The tea isn't ready yet, but after Tonks hangs up her coat she joins Fleur in the kitchen and they talk there. Tonks leans close to Fleur over the countertop and smiles effortlessly as they chat, her eyes sparkling; the familiar scent of Fleur's lilac perfume fills her senses. The kettle whistles for a minute and a half before either of them notices.

* * *

"Mercy," Bill sighs, wiping his brow as he exits Gringotts. Leave it to the goblins to go on strike and ruin the whole workday. Other human employees wave to Bill as they disperse from the marble building, each of them grateful to be released from work early.

* * *

"Mercy!" Tonks cries, holding up her hands above her in mock surrender as Fleur crouches over her, tickling her thin ribs energetically. Fleur stops, leaning back on her knees and smiling mischievously. For a moment, they stay motionless upon the bed, chests heaving as they regain their breath, staring into each other's eyes. Slowly, the grins slide off their faces and Fleur leans over Tonks and captures her mouth in a kiss, soft and static. Both pairs of eyes close as Fleur shifts her body astride Tonks, running her fingers through the metamorphagus' spiky hair and opening her mouth to Tonks' tongue.

* * *

"Mercy," Bill growls, momentarily frozen under the gloomy canopy of rainy sky. He gazes up at the second story window of the cottage, gripping his broken umbrella tight in his right hand. Through the window, he sees his wife pulling off her shirt gracefully and pulling a short-haired stranger close to her, kissing the unfamiliar figure. Then they sink out of sight. Bill gapes at the empty window for a moment, rain steadily dripping through his drenched red hair and down his clenched jaw.

* * *

"Mercy," Fleur murmurs with a sharp intake of breath as Tonks' teeth graze the soft skin on her neck. Tonks smiles at the reaction and bites lightly, teasing Fleur's skin with her mouth. A dim shadow falls across Fleur's white skin, and Tonks has a moment to look up from Fleur's naked body in brief surprise and see Bill's face masked in animalistic rage before a brilliant bolt of pain explodes on her skull. Droplets of water, like fireworks, spray everywhere.

* * *

"Mercy," Fleur blurts in a strained whisper, the first thing that comes to mind, as Bill towers over her. His jagged features twist in a vicious snarl as he kicks out at her gut again, cracking a rib at the contact. She cries out, trying to protect her bare body by curling up. As her husband rains frenzied kicks on the exposed flesh of her slender back, she chokes back tears and blood and reflects on the cruel irony that in her native tongue, it would have sounded like she said "thank you".

* * *

"Mercy," Tonks mutters thickly, regaining consciousness flat on her face in the mud of a bed of forget-me-nots. She winces and hisses as she touches an ugly, throbbing bump underneath the spiky brown hair on the crown of her head. Rain pelts her pale skin, dripping off her nose and chin and chilling her to the bone as she looks up, frowning and blinking painfully at the gray sky. Suddenly, it all comes flooding back to her. Staggering to her feet, she stumbles across the lawn to the cottage and tries to wrench open the door, but it's locked. "Fleur!" she screams hoarsely, pounding on the rough wooden timbers. After a minute her fists begin to bleed, and still there is no reply. Silence except for the neutral curtain of rain pouring from the sky, gushing from the gutters, trickling down her spine. Icy fingers of fear clench her chest and she tries to keep calm.

* * *

"Mercy," Bill whispers, his face contorting in pain. He grasps Fleur's hand and rubs her smooth skin desperately, gazing into her blackened eyes with anxious remorse. She looks blankly at the rain dashing on the windowpane, distracted by the steady ebb of pain washing through her chest, cheek, neck, back, and eyes. Her porcelain complexion is tattooed with blue and purple blossoms and finger-marks. Amidst the bruises is a tiny pink spot, like a rose petal, on the graceful slope of her neck. She doesn't look at him as she stands up and limps past his kneeling figure. He cries out and grasps at the hem of her dress, but it slips through his fingers and she walks out of the dark bedroom. Her coat is on and she's out the door before Bill's tears hit the carpet.

* * *

"Mercy," Remus spits in bitter disbelief, inspecting the smear of unfamiliar lipstick on Tonks' collarbone. He releases her chin and turns away, scowling. As Tonks sits wearily on the stairs, dripping mud, water and blood on the rug, Remus paces like a caged animal. The creak of the floorboards, crackling of the fireplace, and drumming of rain on the roof are the only sounds. Tonks wishes her husband would say something more. But he doesn't say another word; he merely glares at Tonks and proceeds to brush her gruffly aside on his way up the stairs. As he comes down the stairs a few minutes later with a suitcase in either hand and opens the front door to the pouring world outside, the grandfather clock in the hallway begins to chime. He shoots Tonks one last look of savage disgust and slams the door behind him. Alone in the house, Tonks closes her eyes and begins to cry softly. It seems that she is seeing wolves wherever she goes.

* * *

"Merci," Fleur says automatically in her native language, paying the Muggle cab driver.

* * *

"Mercy," Tonks gasps, throwing open the door to the bruised and battered blonde on her doorstep. Fleur's eyes immediately fill with tears and she collapses, sobbing brokenly, into Tonks' arms, heedless of Tonks' wet and muddy clothes. Tonks shushes her, stroking her hair gently, and leads her inside. The tea that Remus had abandoned when Tonks came home is waiting for them in the kitchen.


End file.
